NEW CHALLENGES IN THE GROWTH FIELD

When unlimited supplies of biosynthetic human growth hormone (hGH) bec ame available in the late 1980s, the envisaged potential of its therap eutic applications was enormous in that it was hoped that perhaps most short children would be able to be made taller. However, this seems t o have been far too simplistic a view and certainly in those children with various growth disorders treated with pharmacological doses of gr owth hormone (GH), the potential for increased final height does not a ppear to be fulfilled, with the exception of girls with Turner's syndr ome. Further challenges in the growth field involve the manipulation o f pubertal development during concomitant GH therapy.